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Resources & New Publications
Horizon Europe 2028-2034: 10th EU research and innovation framework programme
According to Eurostat, EU research and development expenditure relative to GDP stood at 2.26 % in 2023, while in comparison it stood respectively at 3.59 % in the United States, and 2.56 % in China (2022). In his 2024 report on the future of European Competitiveness, Mario Draghi identified this gap as one of the root causes of the EU’s lack of competitiveness. Against this backdrop, the proposed 10th EU framework programme for research and innovation should help to preserve EU research and innovation ecosystem excellence in producing world-class scientific knowledge, while improving the capacity to exploit such knowledge, in particular by scaling-up innovative technologies and solutions. While the programme’s architecture is apparently a continuation of the current 2021-2027 Horizon Europe programme, the creation of a European competitiveness fund creates a specific set of rules and governance that will apply to a substantial part of Horizon collaborative research activities. More here.
European Commission Operational guide on agroecology
Agroecology is a polysemic concept whose contours have evolved over almost a century. There is not a single definition but a large number that reflect the concerns and commitments of the different authors and practitioners. Thus, the scientific and technical perspective adopted by the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) in 2016 when it described agroecology as ‘the application of ecological concepts and principles to agricultural systems, focusing on the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment, to foster sustainable agricultural development in order to ensure food and nutrition security for all today and tomorrow’ has become too restrictive. Indeed, the concept has become more complex as it addresses agri-food systems as a whole, and not just agricultural systems, by overcoming the divide between the scientific and technical dimensions of agroecology and its social and political dimensions, and by adopting a holistic perspective. The resulting concept of agroecology, which is widely shared today, is that of a transdisciplinary, participatory and action-oriented approach, relating at the same time to a transdisciplinary science, a set of practices and a social movement.
Bioeconomy Innovations and Investments Forum (BIIF 2025)
The Bioeconomy Innovations and Investments Forum (BIIF 2025) on Food Loss and Waste was organized by FAO together with 18 co-organizers from UN agencies, regional bodies, governments, and research institutions, and took place in Bangkok from 25–27 November. Discussions highlighted the rapidly growing interest and market traction of bioeconomy sectors across the Asia–Pacific region, where participants explored innovations transforming food waste and biological resources from agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry and seaweed, including marine-based materials and insect-based products. Delegates stressed the need for coherent, inclusive, and action-oriented regional bioeconomy agendas aligned with global developments. As cooperation within the region remains fragmented, they called for stronger policy coherence between national circular economy, bioeconomy, biodiversity, and climate plans. Participants emphasised that the bioeconomy is a key solution to climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, food insecurity, and persistent poverty. Nonetheless, major gaps persist in scaling innovations, aligning standards, strengthening regional cooperation, and connecting bio-based solutions to investment and markets.
Employment in the Circular Economy: Leveraging circularity to create decent work
Employment in the Circular Economy: Leveraging circularity to create decent work Millions of people worldwide work in sectors that contribute to the circular economy, including repair, recycling, second-hand trade, and waste management. This represents a significant share of global employment outside of agriculture, according to a joint report by Circle Economy, the ILO, the World Bank, and UN-PAGE. The study is the first global analysis of employment in the circular economy. Most circular economy activities are concentrated in the Global South, with particularly high shares in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions. More than half of these workers are employed in the informal economy, where jobs are unregulated and lack state protection. This is especially common in the Global South, leaving many of the people driving sustainable development in precarious conditions with unstable incomes and low wages. The report, Employment in the Circular Economy: Leveraging circularity to create decent work, is the result of three years of collaboration between the agencies. It provides policymakers with data and practical tools to accelerate a just and job-rich transition to the circular economy. The findings emphasize the need to integrate workers’ rights and social protections into circular economy strategies. Environmental legislation often focuses on climate goals while overlooking the social dimension and the people driving the transition. Report.
EIC 2026 work programme
The European Commission adopted the 2026 work programme of the European Innovation Council. It opens funding opportunities worth over €1.4 billion for strategic technologies and scaling up companies. The EIC work programme 2026 details the funding in five main schemes:
- EIC Pathfinder (€262 million) for multi-disciplinary research teams to undertake visionary research with the potential to lead to technology breakthroughs (grants up to €4 million).
- EIC Transition (€100 million) to turn research results into innovation opportunities, following up on results generated by EIC Pathfinder, European Research Council Proof of Concept, Horizon Europe Pillar 2 (societal challenges) collaborative projects and Research Infrastructures projects (grants up to €2.5 million).
- Advanced Innovation Challenges (€6 million) to support high-risk, demand-driven deep tech innovation with transformative potential especially in areas where there is extensive research but lack of commercial uptake (€300,000 lump sum)
- EIC Accelerator (€634 million) for start-ups and SMEs to develop and scale up innovations with the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones (grants below €2.5 million, investments from €0.5 to €10 million).
- The EIC Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) Scale Up (€300 million), which will provide additional equity funding to promising companies (SMEs, start-ups, spin-offs and small mid-caps) driving innovation in critical areas to help them secure larger private co-investment rounds of €50 million or above for further scaling their businesses (investments from €10 to €30 million).
In each case, the direct financial support to innovators is complemented with access to a wide range of Business Acceleration Services providing access to leading expertise, corporates, investors and ecosystem actors.
Science communication in the digital age: building informed societies
With a shift toward digital space, science communication has evolved from an optional educational tool to an important public responsibility. Since scientific knowledge is widely relied upon for both individual and collective decision-making, ensuring that reliable and evidence-based information reaches the public in this new digital landscape is necessary. Read the report from the Science Summit 2025 here.
This Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025: Strengthening AI Foundations by the World Bank offers a comprehensive data-driven snapshot of the global AI landscape. It underscores that while AI opens up opportunities, low- and middle-income countries face steep challenges to adapt or deploy AI effectively and at scale. Yet a promising trend is emerging as many countries are actively adopting “Small AI” solutions. These approaches are more affordable, easier-to-use applications designed to run on everyday devices like mobile phones, and they are already helping extend AI’s reach to help solve today’s most pressing development challenges in areas like agriculture, health, and education.
As developing countries adopt AI, they continue to strengthen the foundations for AI innovation.
This report emphasizes the importance of the “four Cs”: connectivity (energy and digital infrastructure), compute (AI chips, data centers, cloud computing), context (data), and competency (skills). Together, these elements form the bedrock of inclusive and effective AI ecosystems, enabling countries to adopt, adapt, and innovate responsibly.
High Level Workshop on the European Research Area
The 2025 High Level Workshop on the European Research Area was held from 18–20 November. It was co-organised by the Research Council of Norway, UK Research and Innovation, and Science Europe. Leaders discussed reinforcing excellence, openness, and security in Europe’s next R&I Framework Programme. Participants emphasized balancing academic freedom, international cooperation, and Europe’s competitiveness.
- Competitiveness should align with sustained investment and societal needs.
- Interdisciplinary and cross-border collaboration remain essential despite global pressures.
- Governance should combine self-regulation with effective EU-level support.
- Openness and security must be balanced to allow international cooperation while mitigating risks.
- EU instruments should be coherent, facilitating smooth participation for Associated Countries.
- Continued dialogue and policy follow-up are crucial to maintain Europe’s scientific leadership and trusted partnerships.
The Future of Poverty: Projecting the Impact of Climate Change on Global Poverty through 2050
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a critical issue with profound socioeconomic consequences, particularly for global poverty. This paper projects the impacts of unmitigated climate change on poverty rates between 2023 and 2050 by combining temperature-productivity estimates with poverty data from 217 countries. Simulations under two climate scenarios reveal alarming trends: the number of people living in extreme poverty could nearly double due to climate change alone. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be most affected, with an additional 40.5 to 73.5 million people falling into poverty by 2050. The study also highlights the strong link between inequality and poverty outcomes. Even a 1 percent rise in a country’s Gini coefficient between 2022 and 2050 could push an extra 8.8 million people below the international poverty line. In a more severe scenario, with a 10 percent increase in inequality, an additional 148.8 million people could be driven into poverty. These results underline the urgent need for climate policies that integrate social protection and inequality reduction alongside emissions mitigation.
Fajardo-Gonzalez, Johanna; Nguyen, Minh C.; Corral, Paul. Publication here.
AUC/OECD (2025), Africa’s Development Dynamics 2025: Infrastructure, Growth and Transformation,
The Africa’s Development Dynamics 2025 report addresses the question of how African policymakers can accelerate infrastructure development to transform the economies of the continent and its five regions. In 2025, Africa’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow at 3.9%, outpacing the GDP growth of Latin America and the Caribbean (2.0%) but below that of developing Asia (4.4%). Investing in quality infrastructure can further boost economic growth, regional integration and employment. Integrated infrastructure networks can enhance firm productivity and connect trade networks, contributing to fulfilling the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of “world-class infrastructure crisscrossing Africa” (AUC/OECD, 2019[1]; AU, 2015[2]). Infrastructure is also a precondition for productive transformation – the reallocation of capital and labour towards the more productive segments of an economy (AUC/OECD, 2019[1]). The report assesses investment and financing opportunities for Africa’s infrastructure and offers policy options to improve the strategic prioritisation and effective governance of infrastructure projects.
Deforestation law: deal with Council to postpone and simplify measures
European Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional political agreement on a one-year postponement of the EU Deforestation Regulation for all businesses, plus targeted solutions to make it easier for companies, global stakeholders and member states to implement.
- All businesses will have one additional year to comply with the new rules
- Simplified traceability requirements within the EU
- Simpler due diligence requirements for small and micro primary operators
- Printed products excluded from the law’s remit
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